I think it's pretty safe to say that Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory is a timeless classic. Not only does it feature a great plot, fantastic acting and show how movies don't have to be full of computer animation to be good, but it also features some of the best music I have ever heard in a movie.
I still remember, almost as clearly as if it were yesterday, the remarkable thing the movie did to me the first time I watched it: It completely changed my mind about musicals! I was about 10 years old when I first sat down and watched the movie. Like a lot of kids, I didn't much care for musical numbers in movies. So when the music for "Pure Imagination" started playing, I thought, "Oh great, a musical number!" I was just about to press the fast-forward button when Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) began singing.
Within about two seconds, I was completely mesmerized! I didn't think I had ever heard such a beautiful song in my life, nor had I heard too many singing voices that were as beautiful as Willy's. It felt like he was singing that song as much to me as he was to the kids and parents in the movie! That song certainly captured MY imagination, and after hearing it for the first time, I saw musicals in a whole new light.
I may be grown now, but I still like the movie every bit as much as I did as a ten-year-old....and I will always have a special spot in my heart for "Pure Imagination" the song that convinced me that musicals can be some of the best movies out there!
I still remember, almost as clearly as if it were yesterday, the remarkable thing the movie did to me the first time I watched it: It completely changed my mind about musicals! I was about 10 years old when I first sat down and watched the movie. Like a lot of kids, I didn't much care for musical numbers in movies. So when the music for "Pure Imagination" started playing, I thought, "Oh great, a musical number!" I was just about to press the fast-forward button when Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder) began singing.
Within about two seconds, I was completely mesmerized! I didn't think I had ever heard such a beautiful song in my life, nor had I heard too many singing voices that were as beautiful as Willy's. It felt like he was singing that song as much to me as he was to the kids and parents in the movie! That song certainly captured MY imagination, and after hearing it for the first time, I saw musicals in a whole new light.
I may be grown now, but I still like the movie every bit as much as I did as a ten-year-old....and I will always have a special spot in my heart for "Pure Imagination" the song that convinced me that musicals can be some of the best movies out there!